Plants are commonly grown in various types of containers including clay and plastic pots. Plant containers comprised of flexible materials that can be hung from vertical surfaces are also known. French patent application no. 2,680,626 discloses a vertical arrangement of plant containers with individual irrigation tubes wherein the containers are made of PVC sheeting. U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,339 discloses a hanging plant holder comprised of two superposed vinyl plastic sheets that are sealed together by welding along the side and lower edges to form an upper plant pocket and a lower water reservoir. United Kingdom patent application no. GB 2,070,403 discloses a hanging plant holder comprised of polyethylene sheets with plant pockets that each have an irrigation tube and a drainage hole. Unfortunately, the impermeability of plastic vinyl and polyethylene sheets to air, moisture and water make such containers damaging to long-term plant health, especially were the amount of soil held by the container is small.
Japanese Patent publication no. 2000-069854 discloses a hanging planter in the form of a bag which is comprised of a plastic sheet, a laminate or a woven or nonwoven fabric covered with a waterproofing agent, with air permeable and water retaining materials being preferred. The opposite sides of the planter bags may be sealed so as to create separate solid compartments and water channels with passages to allow water in the water channels to pass into soil in the soil compartment. Drain holes formed in the bottom of the bags permit excess water to drain from the bag.
US application publication no. 2005/0166451 to Stachnick discloses a hollow vessel having a wall comprised of a synthetic microporous sheet material selected from the group of flash-spun plexi-filamentary fabrics, spunbonded/meltdown/spunbonded (“SMS”) fabrics and micro-porous film laminates, which are permeable to moisture while being substantially impermeable to water droplets. Hence, the micro-porous films transmit air, gas and vapor, but still act as a barrier to water.
In particular, the micro-porous material does not allow water to pass through it fast enough to drain. This means that when a plant is overwatered, the micro-porous material will retain water in, potentially overexposing the plant to moisture, which can cause rotting of the plant roots. However, over longer time periods, the lack of a water impermeable layer can eventually result in the microporous material allowing condensation to seep through the bottom and sidewalls of the container, since it is not absorbent enough to provide condensation protection. Accordingly, the microporous material is not desirable for indoor usage because water seepage on the bottom surface can damage the floors underneath.
As such, there is a need for a flexible plant container that does not leak water so that it can be used in both inside and outside spaces. There is a further need for a plant container that is made of a material that allows air and moisture to pass so that planting soil in the container can be maintained in an aerated condition that is beneficial to plant health. There is also a need for plant containers made of strong yet flexible materials that can be formed in a variety of shapes without specialized tools and the expenditure of significant energy.
The terms “plant container” and “planter,” are used interchangeably. The terms “vertical plant hanger” and “vertically hanging planter” are also to be deemed equivalent in meaning as used in describing the invention.